Malka Older

good conclusion. i really liked the characters in this series, and didn't want to let them go. but beyond that, i was really interested in the balanced treatment of the subject matter. the idea of information as the basic of a technological bureaucracy separate from politics (and policy), floated in the first book, the case against it floated in the middle book, and here a semi-inevitable breakup of the world all that created, with new models contemplated down the road. it's not set in our time, but rather in the latter part of this century, although obviously there are many reasons in our time to be interested in how the author analyses this model in the field, and where she chooses to take it.… (mer)

absorbing near-future setting with a lot to say about creating a dynamic future with many choices of environment types and ideas. continuing the roller-coaster ride of momentum at the end of the first book of the Centenal Trilogy, now we see the downside of Information as a way to reorganize the politics of the physical world. but although the advanced state of information offers power, it interferes with personal autonomy because it lessens privacy, and this creates political problems. lots of action and interactions, and plenty of spywork and mysteries, and i enjoyed both the characters and the rapidly moving plot that crossed the world. best of all, the book's themes struck a chord with me as being Important to confront, and consider solutions. and so on to Book 3.… (mer)